20 Fenchurch Street recognised for its sustainability credentials

One of the newest additions to London’s City skyline, 20 Fenchurch Street, EC3, has been confirmed as one of the most sustainable buildings in the City of London after achieving a BREEAM 2011 Excellent rating.

The development was given a post-construction score of 80.2 percent by the Assessors at BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology), the world’s leading design and assessment method for sustainable buildings.

Joint developers Canary Wharf Group and Land Securities set out to ensure the 38-storey tower, known as ‘The Walkie Talkie’ was one of the most sustainable buildings of its type in London, and have deployed a number of innovative measures throughout the design, construction and operational phases.

These include:

Thermographic surveys: using the same technology as fire and rescue search teams, the thermal conductivity of the entire facade was checked and found to conform with exacting heat loss performance standards.

UK’s largest green wall: providing a much-needed plant and insect ecosystem, an important habitat for nesting birds, and valuable green infrastructure.

FSC certified timber: one of only 80 projects globally and 44 in the UK that have achieved this certification which recognises the incorporation of wood products from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits. 20 Fenchurch Street was a FSC Full Project for the shell, core and full fit-out of the Sky Garden and restaurants, common areas, the pocket park, annex building and levels 14, 15, 16, 17, 35, 36, 37.

Recycling construction waste: 96.4 percent of all construction waste was diverted from landfill and either reused, recycled or recovered through a variety of onsite and offsite resource management processes. For example, all excavated material was reclassified under the CLARE Code of Practice and was sent for use as fill material in an offsite land reclamation project. Unwanted timber pallets and packaging was re-used by an exporter of military memorabilia.

Noise and air quality monitoring: real time noise and dust monitoring stations were established during the construction process which were used to help the site team monitor and maintain noise and air quality within acceptable thresholds. The data was used to help inform a pioneering report on construction air quality within the City of London, in conjunction with City of London and Southbank University.

Additionally, 20 Fenchurch Street boasts the first hydrogen fuel cell to be installed in a commercial building in the City of London. The fuel cell, which will be switched on later this summer, produces heating cooling and electricity, generating 300kW of low carbon, low emissions electricity, reducing the building’s carbon dioxide emissions by at least 270 tonnes per annum.

“Our total project approach to ‘making sustainability real’ has resulted in one of the most sustainable buildings of its type in central London. The team can be justly proud of this achievement and the effort made to reach these milestones.”

Caroline Hill, Head of Sustainability (Energy & Environment) at Land Securities, said:

“We’re delighted that 20 Fenchurch Street has achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating. Together with our joint venture partners, Canary Wharf Group, we’ve worked hard to find innovative ways to enhance the building’s sustainability credentials, and we’re proud that the finished product is having as positive an impact on the environment as it is on our office customers and visitors to the Sky Garden.”

The office space at 20 Fenchurch Street is nearly fully let while the Sky Garden opened to the public for free in January.